dont be cruel
it took some time to get up the nerve, but here is my first try…
Combo Rockers - call the doctor
i am only starting to get the compression part…and i think i have a BIG tendency to overproduce—just don’t know when to quit, i guess…comments are very welcome
yamaha accoustic guitar
radio shack cheap mic
digitech effects pedal
drums (digitech pedal)
win xp
n-track
Sounds great - a good first attempt 
Shows what can be done with minimum equipment.
Just a couple of comments -
There are a couple of points in the number when the notes from the two leads clash harmonically - well, to me they did anyway.
But the main thing is the drum sound, which is obviously electronically produced. I’d replace them with some real drum samples say.
Well Done
Pash
i was thinking i should just get rid of the double guitars… i agree about the drummer…he (it) is a little redundant. i dont know where to get the real deal. do you recommend some software that is realistically ($$) available
thanx for the comments
Hi
I’d keep the two guitars - they work well most of the time. Where there do clash, I’d try and copy/paste a note or phrase from some other part of the same track to fix it up.
As for the drums, how are you with midi? If you can build a midi drum track, then there are loads of (free) real drum samples and plugs to use them out there on the www.
Cheers
Pa
several years ago i inherited a yamaha keyboard that has midi in & out. i haven’t figured out how to incorporate that into my pseudo-studio yet. i am going to visit my son in nashville this week and he uses midi a lot so maybe he can shed some light on its use. then maybe i can start using it. also, i think he has “reason” software which he says can be used to create drum tracks. i would rather have the “real” sounds to work with but am always willing to try anything that will work.
as for the editing of the guitar track, i will give that a try and see what happens. it is probably really a matter of the performer (me) hitting a wrong note. oh well…
thanx for the input…
Very very nice, love the guitars (yeah they do clash now and then, but so what), love the feel, it’s a keeper.
I think the voice needs a like reduction of the low end. Could be the mike, I find the closer I sing to the mic the more bass I have to roll off. Also maybe a little too much reverb, but that’s a personal thing. I just discovered the Classic chorus plugin, the vocal settings are great.
What did you use for the bass?
I’d love to jam with you someday.
thanx for the comments. i guess my amateurism shows through, but, what the heck…its still a hoot to be able to do this in my own spare room…
i suppose that part of the reason for the errors is that i am not that serious and don’t spend all that much time on a single track. pretty much put down drums, ryth gtr, vocal, lead guitar in that order. since i have only been doing this for a few months, i am looking forward to the time when i can post something much better.
my singing is pretty bad so i have to keep it at a low level which puts me right on top of the mic. yes there is tooooo much low end. a case of “sounds good in headophns” but not on monitor speakers (which are just a computer subwoofer setup).
i have just discovered the classic series of plug-ins and am remixing 10 other songs i have covered trying to tweak the tracks with different tools.
my son asked the same question about the bass…i don’t have a bass, just the way i pluck my strings on the rythym i suppose. all in all, when i listen to the burned copy on my home stereo, it also has an overload of bass so i need to work on that.
my son and i jam all the time and he his an excellent gtr player but leans more toward today’s styles although he can do jimmy page like jimmy page and plenty of blues. i tend to go to the old longhair favorites.
i appreciate the comments and will eventually work up the nerve to post another song . when it comes to jammin’, lowell george said it best, i’m always "willin’ ".
Yeah, you need to look around for better drums. For free you can simply sequence drums in n-track using sfz and NSKit. Use your keyboard to tap in rhythms and you are good to go on the cheap.
No, I actually thought the guitars with the bass sounded very nice, just the voice was a little boomy.
Yes, Lowell George’s Willin is a great song.
thanx you guys…
bubba…thanks for pointing me to some free drums. i’ll give them a try.
bubba…i downloaded nskit. well,…i haven’t figured out how do anything with it…just looking at the file is about as far as i’ve managed to get. how do you run the prgm?
Great musical ideas.
I actually enjoy the guitars. I dont know if the harmonies where on purpose or by chance, either way, they are interesting.
I dont think you have a bad voice, dont be afraid of getting the mic closer.
There are a couple of things that I would probably do to the mix. I think the bass is dominating your mix and its getting all the attention, you might want to bring it down some.
For real drum loops you might want to consider www.betamonkeymusic.com They have good prices and the quality of the work is awesome.
Nice work!
thanx frank…the bass seems to be a general consensus…i will re-mix and lower the EQ. i don’t even play a bass but i must have upped the lower range a bit too much. my daughter is getting married in a week so i cant do anything til after that…thanx again for the listening and the feedback.
cliff
Congratulations on your daughter’s wedding.
You know, sometimes the best thing for a mix is to stop listening to it for a while. Then you go back with fresh ears and go for it again.
I have been using N-track for a little more than a year and have not posted anything yet. Hopefully soon.
i go back with fresh ears and thats why i haven’t posted any of the other songs i have “finished”. they never seem to be “finished” enough. my daughter (the one getting married) is encouraging me to put up another…so one of these days…i will. you should too, it only hurts for a minute…
thanx for the responses.
to anyone listening…i just posted another song …just a simple ditty…but i tried to lay off the bass…now i think i picked a boring little tune…i will soon try something else and sooner or later i will get something good posted…